Technology allows father to witness his child's birth from a different city

Sarah is a lifestyle writer and travel blogger who can often be found loitering in a cafe with a pot of tea and a good book. Over the last eight years Sarah has lived and worked abroad in the United Kingdom, Spain and Colombia and has tr...

Dad gets to be a part of his child's birth even though he was 4,000 km away

With worries about the economic climate and with job security waning, it's no wonder employees are going above and beyond to keep the pay cheques coming.

When Perth dad, Jace Larke, the sole breadwinner of the family, was offered a fly-in, fly-out role as an electrician in Queensland, it was a no-brainer. Even if that meant he'd potentially miss the birth of his new baby.

His wife, Alison, was expecting their third child and the new role coincided with the tail end of her pregnancy.

"Jace being the sole breadwinner, we were worried if he had put his hand up and asked for indefinite time off, with the contract coming to a close, they would have said don't bother," Alison told Fairfax Media.

"A lot of people are being laid off... that's the reality," she said.

Unfortunately, Jace was indeed away from home when his wife went into labour. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to be present for the birth. Thanks to a 360-degree camera set up in the birthing suite and a headset provided to Jace in Queensland, the family was able to come together, albeit digitally, during the first moments of their son's life.

"To me, that camera was Jace, and that was my link to him in Queensland to share that special moment," Alison said.

So often we hear about how technology is negatively impacting relationships and families, so it's wonderful to know that there are some feel-good stories out there, too. What do you think? Is technology adding to your family relationships? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.